pizzafan69420

Hello,

I am new to all of this so forgive me for any breeches of etiquette, but I wanted to start this particular thread as a way to hear others experiences with anxiety/panic attacks resulting from an alcohol hangover.

I am currently having an immense amount of anxiety and panic attacks at work after having overdone it last night. I feel insane, sick, and I am terrified that I've done some real damage to my body (which I undoubtedly have, but I fear life-threatening damage). I always get this way after a night of drinking, and I really am not sure why I ever come back. I had 14 days of sobriety prior to this slip up. I am sure I will work through it, as I have hundreds upon hundreds of time before, but it's still terrifying.

Just hearing stories of how other people have endured the same thing, and got through it, is extremely helpful. I have Klonopin, but I refuse to take it as I have a really addictive personality and was hooked on that and recently weened myself off of it. I just need to know this can be done.

Anna

I used alcohol to self-medicate anxiety/panic attacks and it made things so much worse. I had horrible anxiety after a night of drinking.

Stopping drinking for good is the best way to deal with this. Yes, I still have anxiety, but I have learned to manage it, and it can be managed in healthy ways, without medication.

Bikeguy

I went through the same thing my first 2 weeks, I could hardly sit at my desk at work. My heart raced, my legs and hands would shake and I felt like the world was coming to an end. I drank gallons of water and took lots of walks to help me relieve the anxiety, sometimes the only way to make myself function was to keep active. Have you been to your doctor for help? Keep up the good work it will get better.

VodkaLover

im goin thru it now.....it's expected....it will pass.....HANG IN THERE.

MattM316

It's the withdrawal, I had that for about a year until the seizures so I left it too late. My hands shook so much I couldn't really hold a cup so that led to drinking in the mornings too.
That lasted for ages but there is only so much time until it catches up with you.

CarolD

Are you planning to get back on track with your sobriety?
Many of us had false starts before we won over alcohol...

Welcome to our SR Alcoholism Forum

OklaBH

Ug yeah i know. I over did it last Saturday. I wasnt worth crap on Sunday. I laid in bed all day and sweated. Monday and Tuesday I felt like I was going to jump out of my skin. I was very anxious, panic stricken, sad, tired, depressed, easily upset....AWFUL! I finally snapped out of it. I have to remind myself i dont want to go there again. Im an alcoholic...I cant drink! Not one not 2 not a half a glass....NONE!

c49

I stay sober to avoid that anxiety! I DO NOT MISS THOSE DAYS!!

I switched brands and types of alcohol trying to find a way to get drunk without the next day anxiety. What a waste of years trying to figure that out.

I do have anxiety, that I manage through diet, exercise and prayer which is far more effective than the booze and benzos I used to practice

justdave

Oh yeah I used to have terrible panic attacks the day after a bad night of drinking. Usually centered around blackout periods and panic over what I may have done while drunk. Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night in full panic mode over some minor thing. Paranoia and thoughts of suicide often too.

Don't miss those mornings at all!

ZZworldontheweb

I agree that it sounds like withdrawal symptoms. You've gotta quit.

Soberween

Yea, I use to get really bad anxiety during hangovers. So much so that I thought I was having a heart attack a few times. It is frightening. In fact, I was once on a crowded subway while hungover and I was pretty sure I was gonna die.

Thanks for posting this. Reminds me to keep on keeping on with this sobriety thing. You can do this too. Print out your original post and keep it as a reminder of why you want to give up alcohol.

FBL

I had severe panic attacks, I thought for sure I was going to die. I'd look up symptoms on the internet and felt after nearly 30 years of drinking I had done severe damage. My (hopefully) last panic attack was so bad, I ended up in the emergency room. They ran all sorts of tests and it turns out it was ALL in my head! That day I stopped drinking and I haven't had any problems in the nearly two years since then.

Fandy

I used to have horrible anxiety over everything...woke up every morning laid in bed full of "dread" over nothing usually.

after about 3-4 weeks sober, i found it much easier to deal with life in general, mostly (I think) because my thought process was MUCH more clear....i was making mountains out of molehills.

I have much less anxiety and can deal with my problems logically and just don't try to over-think every little thing.

also exercise helps me cope...and i enjoy walking the dog every day.

if you are in withdrawal and in full panic mode, see your doctor and be truthful.

Linz

A hangover is the worst feeling in the world for me. I'm not sure why I even call it a "feeling." Usually my body is so numb and I sweat at weird points during the day, I cannot get out of bed, I want it to be dark wherever I am. My mind races with odd thoughts and about every 10 minutes I feel as if my head WILL explode or my heart will start racing so fast that it'll be impossible to stop it from speeding. I thought I was having a stroke a couple of times.
I'm only 25 years old... I'm realizing that that is no way to live whatsoever.
I cannot drink one beer... I can only drink one beer after another after another, and I'm so sick of doing that.

Good Luck!

Scolova

I am with you here... I've been having those feelings for over five years now and am finally getting serious about quitting as I can hardly go into a store anymore without the (claustrophobia, agoraphobia) panic setting in.

With God's help I will.
S

BorntoHula

Dude the anxiety and fear is your body in crisis that there isn't alcohol soothing the nerves anymore. It's a sign that you've entered the borderlands of the wild and dangerous territory of alcohol dependence.

I know that fear man. It is hell on earth. Go to detox if you need to, and don't touch the booze again. You will never have to feel that awful fear again.

CarolD

Scolova.....BorntoHula...


Glad to see you joined us on SR ...Welcome

LaFemme

Getting out of bed in the Morning used to terrify me...I was frightened of life for no reason whatsoever I have not felt that way in close to 9 months....the same amount of time I have been sober.

Justfor1

The anxiety was horrible when I came off a bender. I had been prescribed Klonopin and then Ativan and eventually those anti-anxiety benzos did not help at all with the alcohol induced anxiety.

chrissp

This thread is full of great advice and experience sharing. I'm also an anxiety/panic attack sufferer. Alcohol was a huge self medication doorway right off a cliff. Drinking in the morning to avoid panic attacks, then to having to stay intoxicated 24/7 to avoid the 'come down' panic attacks.

Ultimately, the real cure was sobriety (with some help from SSRIs, which never worked while drinking). I went through hell the first two weeks, pounded through it, and on the third week it was like I was in a different body. Get sober, stick with it, alcohol and anxiety go together like white and rice.